Anti-gang and narcotics officers with the Los Angeles Police Department will be required to disclose their personal finances under a policy intended to root out corruption, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today.
The financial disclosure requirement is part of the federal Consent Decree under which the LAPD must operate. Every two years, officers in anti-gang and narcotics units will be required to report all of their personally and jointly owned assets, liabilities and income.
The union that represents Los Angeles police officers had sought to bar implementation of the policy. "We are very disappointed that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals did not agree with our position on this special order, which will implement intrusive requirements that will put officers and their families at risk while having no demonstrable positive outcomes,'' said Los Angeles Police Protective League Paul M. Weber. "Law enforcement experts and common sense both tell us that these requirements will have no effect on corruption.''
However, the Police Commission, a civilian panel that oversees the department, welcomed the news.
"I am pleased the Ninth Circuit upheld the decision of U.S. District Court Judge Gary Feess,'' said Anthony Pacheco, president of the commission. "The Police Commission now looks forward to the implementation of this procedure, meeting the mandates of the consent decree. This is one of the last areas of non-compliance and we look toward its full and timely implementation.''
The policy will be fully implemented by the LAPD within the next 30 days. Union officials are consulting with their attorneys to determine whether they have any legal options going forward.
Financial disclosure is intended to prevent corruption among police officers who handle confiscated cash and drugs. The LAPD expects that about 600 officers will have to fill out the two-page forms, which will be placed in seal envelopes and retained in the chief's office. Officers will not be required to provide LAPD auditors with their bank account numbers.
Officers in Santa Ana and members of the FBI, CIA and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission are also required to complete disclosure documents.
"Unfortunately, the people of Los Angeles are being taken for a ride by the monitor of the consent decree, Michael Cherkasky,'' Weber said. "Cherkasky insists that these financial disclosure forms are 'best practices' despite the fact that they haven't been implemented anywhere in the United States and he has no evidence to substantiate his claim.''
The federal consent decree has been in place since 2001. Two years ago, the city of Los Angeles and U.S. Department of Justice presented a financial disclosure policy to the federal court, but it was rejected. The department's failure to institute a financial disclosure policy was part of the court's decision to extend the decree until June 15.
Recently, the names of officers who were accused of racial profiling and then exonerated were accidentally made public by the police department, and the police union has expressed concern that the same thing could happen regarding officers' personal finances.
